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Views from the Choir Loft

Guinea Pigs and the Old Sequence for All Souls Day

Veronica Brandt · October 31, 2015

snowball the guinea pig WROTE ABOUT Dies Irae last year. Next time someone asks me why I attend a Vetus Ordo Mass I’ll give Dies Irae as the reason. The current plan splits up the hymn across Matins, Lauds and Vespers – like they do with Jesu Rex Admirabilis and Jesu Dulcis Memoria for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. If you are eager to read more on their history and place in the Mass
Fr Friel has written a mini history of the Sequences.

But back to the guinea pigs.

A couple of years ago my sons bought a pair of guinea pigs at a homeschool market day. We had lots of exciting times, like when they hid under the shed and wouldn’t come back until after dark. We had random squares of neatly trimmed grass around our yard where their pen would stay for a few days at a time.

But then after a particularly hot day, the boys went to bring the guinea pigs in and found them both dead.

One was stiff already. The other was going that way. To be sure that they weren’t about to revive we kept them in shoeboxes overnight – something like having an open coffin. The passing of time eased the heartache a little.

The next day we dug a hole under a persimmon tree near where their pen was. The usual question about whether animals go to heaven was discussed. We didn’t want to be praying for the repose of their souls, but something to show our trust in God and express the unsettling awareness of the transience of all material things – including fuzzy pets. Queue Dies Irae.

Many are daunted by the length – 20 verses depending how you count them – but it is fairly easy. There are three main tunes. Let’s call them A, B and C.

The pattern is : A A B B C C A A B B C C A A B B C C then the closing tune for Lacrimosa through to the end. All the Sequences have that echo effect which can be very handy for a choir to sing antiphonally with the more experienced singers leading.

Back in our backyard, I pulled out some copies of A New Book of Old Hymns. We sang it through and it seemed so right. Our littlest piped up at the end to say it was all finished.

    * *  Dies Irae – pp 52-55 of A New Book of Old Hymns

I didn’t make a recording that day, but there are many recordings. Giovanni Vianini’s renditions are always great. There are also many, many, many translations and paraphrases.

Maybe you can take this hymn along to your local cemetery for the plenary indulgence Nov 1-8. Have a blessed November.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

This was first breach in the walls of a fortress, centuries old, stoutly built, strong and robust, but no longer capable of responding to the spiritual needs of the age. [N.B. the “fortress” is a liturgy which nourished countless great saints.]

— Annibale Bugnini (19 March 1966)

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